 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah | |
|---|---|
| Nawab of the Carnatic Amir ul-Hind Walla Jah Umdat ul-Mulk Asaf ud-Daula | |
 Portrait of Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah by George Willison (1775). | |
| Nawab of the Carnatic | |
| Reign | 3 August 1749/12 June 1752 – 13 October 1795 |
| Predecessor | Anwaruddin Khan Chanda Sahib(Disputed) |
| Successor | Umdat ul-Umara |
| Full name | Amir ul Hind, Walla Jah, 'Umdat ul-Mulk, Asaf ud-Daula, Nawab Muhammad 'Ali Anwar ud-din Khan Bahadur, Zafar Jang, Sipah-Salar, Sahib us-Saif wal-qalam Mudabbir-i-Umur-i-'Alam Farzand-i-'Aziz-az Jan, Biradarbi Jan-barabar [Nawab Jannat Aramgah], Subadar of the Carnatic. |
| Born | 7 July 1717 Delhi, Mughal Empire (modern day India) |
| Died | 13 October 1795 (aged 78) Chepauk, Carnatic Sultanate (modern day Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India) |
| Buried | Outside the gate of the Gunbad of Shah Chand Mastan, Tiruchirappalli |
| Noble family | Rowther (Anwariyya Dynasty) |
| Spouse(s) | Nawab Begum Sahiba |
| Issue | Muhammad Ishaq Khan Umdat ul-Umara Amir ul-Umara (eighteen sons and twenty-one daughters) |
| Father | Anwaruddin Khan |
| Mother | Fakhr un-nisa Begum Sahiba |
| Military career | |
| Service |  Carnatic Sultanate |
| Rank | Subedar |
| Battles / wars | Mughal-Maratha Wars, Seven Years' War, Carnatic Wars, Anglo-Mysore Wars, Siege of Arcot, Battle of Golden Rock |
Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah, or Muhammed Ali, Wallajah (7 July 1717 – 13 October 1795), was the Nawab of the Carnatic from 1749 until his death in 1795. He declared himself Nawab in 1749. This position was disputed between Wallajah and Chanda Sahib. In 1752, after several clashes, Chanda Sahib's forces and his French allies were expelled from Arcot, officially declaring Wallajah as Nawab on 26 August 1765. His reign was recognised by Mughal emperor Shah Alam II.
Wallajah an ally of the British East India Company supporting them in the Carnatic Wars against Chanda Sahib. During his rule, the Carnatic region saw stronger ties with the British and growing influence of the British East India Company. This also limited French Influence in the region.
Wallajah also constructed Chepauk Palace in 1768. This palace, commissioned by British financier Paul Benfield, incorporates Indo-Saracenic architecture and became the main residence of Wallajah. After the construction of this palace, Wallajah moved the capital from Arcot to Chepauk, which served as the capital of the Carnatic Sultanate until 1855.